In his briefing to the UN Security Council on Tuesday April
24, Kofi Annan noted the important impact that the UN Observer Mission was
having on the ground even though there had only been a few UN observers deployed
thus far.(1)
He reported that there had been a marked decrease in the level of violence since the April 12 cease fire in Syria. “Without comprehensive monitoring of the situation,” he said, “it is difficult to assess the level of violence, but the available reports suggest that, taken as a whole the level of violence has decreased across the period since 12 April….” (Kofi Annan Briefing, Para 7 )
He reported that there had been a marked decrease in the level of violence since the April 12 cease fire in Syria. “Without comprehensive monitoring of the situation,” he said, “it is difficult to assess the level of violence, but the available reports suggest that, taken as a whole the level of violence has decreased across the period since 12 April….” (Kofi Annan Briefing, Para 7 )
He noted that the importance of having observers was not only
to “see what is going on.” More significantly, he pointed out that “their
presence has the potential to change the political dynamics.” (Kofi Annan
Briefing, Para 21)
His goal is not to “freeze the situation” he explained, but to
move toward what he calls an “enabling environment” that will facilitate “a
genuine political process.”
Annan spoke to the crucial role that accurate information must
play in helping to ease the crisis in Syria. “We continue to be hampered by the
lack of verified information in assessing the situation,” he said. “We need eyes
and ears on the ground,” he emphasized. “This will provide the incontrovertible
basis the international community needs to act in an effective and unified
manner, increasing the momentum for a cessation of violence to be implemented by
all sides,” he explains. (Kofi Annan Briefing, Para 20)...